I went into Johnathan Swift’s ‘A Modest Proposal’ completely blind having done no research before as I was going to do after reading. I was initially aghast at his proposal, however, I quickly realized that it was satire, a political commentary on the current events of the time. Swift proposes that impoverished families breed and sell their children as food for the wealthy in order to overcome financial hardships. He goes into detail in all the ways the child should be prepared for this task such as their weight, how much they are to be fed, etc. He then goes on to give examples of all they ways they could be “prepared” as one would prepare a pig or cattle for supper. For instance, he writes, “…That a young healthy child well nursed, is, at a year old, a most delicious nourishing and wholesome food, whether stewed, roasted, baked, or boyled ; and I make no doubt that it will equally serve in a fricasie , or a ragoust.” While this text did cause a lot of shock and outrage, understandably, it also caused important discussions and debates about the state of Ireland at the time. Within this work Swift brings the British government under fire as he claims they only care about the resources and profits that Ireland brings, not the people. Unfortunately, ‘A Modest Proposal’ did not bring about any immediate change. It wasn’t until over a century later that changes began to be made. In fact, there was Great Irish Famine from 1845 – 1852. While Swift did not directly inspire any writers, his form of satirical style and social critique set a precedent for using satire and critique to highlight social and political issues. His work remains a powerful example of how literature can provoke thought and inspire discussions about important societal problems.